Self-adhered termination bar

ABSTRACT

A method of installing a self-adhered termination bar over a roofing system membrane positioned against a vertical surface, such as, for example, a parapet wall. The method includes positioning a termination bar having a pre-applied adhesive layer on a vertical surface having a single-ply membrane secured thereto. The self-adhered termination bar is initially secured to the membrane solely by the adhesive layer provided thereon. Mechanical fasteners are then driven through apertures in the self-adhered termination bar and into the structure to permanently secure the termination bar in place. The self-adhered termination bar allows the installation process to be performed by a single person.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional ApplicationSerial No. 61/260,109 filed on Nov. 11, 2009, which is incorporatedherein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

One or more embodiments of the present invention relate to a terminationbar having an adhesive on one surface. More particularly, thetermination bar may be provided with an adhesive layer and a releasepaper positioned over the adhesive layer. In other embodiments of theinvention, a method of installing roof flashing is provided, the methodincluding using a self-adhering termination bar to secure the flashingto a vertical surface.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The construction industry commonly uses single ply membranes to providea waterproof barrier on flat or low-slope roofs. It is prohibitivelyexpensive and difficult to produce and transport a single membrane thatis sized to cover an entire roof surface, thus, a plurality ofindividual membranes are provided and oriented in an overlappingarrangement. The overlapping portions, or splices, of these individualmembranes must be secured together to ensure that the plurality ofmembranes form a single waterproof surface. In addition, the outer edgesof the membranes adjacent to the roof edge must be sealed in some manner(e.g. to the roof substrate or to a roof edge surface) to ensure thatwater does not intrude beneath the membranes.

In many cases a parapet wall exists at one or more edges of the roof onwhich the roof membrane is provided, particularly in the case of flatroofs. In order to prevent leakage of the roofing system it is necessaryto seal the edges of the membranes to the parapet wall. For example, astrip of flashing may be secured to the membrane edges adjacent to theparapet wall, the flashing extending vertically up the parapet wall andbeing secured thereto. The flashing may be secured to the membranes byan adhesive, by heat welding, or by other known methods of creating awater-tight seam. The flashing is secured to the vertical surface of theparapet wall by fasteners, adhesives, and/or other known methods. Inmany cases, a termination bar is provided to secure the flashing to theparapet wall. The termination bar is an elongate bar, typically made ofmetal, with a plurality of apertures. Mechanical fasteners are providedthrough the apertures of the termination bar and extend into the parapetwall, thereby further securing the flashing to the parapet wall alongthe length of the termination bar. A sealant may then be provided at theuppermost vertical edge of the flashing to create a water-resistantseal.

Conventional methods of securing roof flashing to a parapet wall using atermination bar are labor intensive, and therefore time consuming andexpensive. Typically, two installers are required for the installationof the termination bar: one to hold the termination bar in place againstthe vertical surface, and another to drive the mechanical fasteners intothe parapet wall. It is difficult for a single installer to perform bothfunctions because the termination bar is prone to shift and slide downthe surface as the installer drives the mechanical fasteners into theparapet wall.

Thus, there exists a need in the art for a termination bar that requiresless labor during installation. Further, there exists a need for amethod of installing a termination bar to reduce the labor required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One or more embodiments of the present invention provide a terminationbar for use in a single-ply membrane roofing system, the termination barincluding an elongate body having a planar surface; a lip extending froman edge of the body away from the planar surface; a plurality ofapertures through the elongate body; and an adhesive layer on the planarsurface of the body, the adhesive layer adapted to temporarily securethe body to a vertical surface.

One or more embodiments of the present invention also provide a methodof installing a termination bar over a roofing system membrane that ispositioned against a vertical surface of a structure protruding from theroof surface, the method including: positioning a termination bar havingan adhesive layer on a vertical surface having a single-ply membranesecured thereto, the termination bar being secured to the membranesolely by adhesive properties of the adhesive layer; and drivingmechanical fasteners through apertures in the termination bar and intothe structure to permanently secure the termination bar in place.

One or more embodiments of the present invention also provide a methodof installing roof flashing on a vertical surface of a structureprotruding from a roof surface, the method comprising: adhering onelongitudinally extending edge of the flashing to a roofing membrane;adhering the other longitudinally extending edge of the flashing to avertical surface of the structure protruding from the roof surface;positioning a termination bar having an adhesive layer on the verticalsurface of the structure over the flashing, wherein the termination baris held in place on the flashing solely as a result of the adhesiveproperties of the adhesive layer; and driving mechanical fastenersthrough apertures in the termination bar and into the structure topermanently secure the termination bar in place.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an elevational perspective view of a roof membrane assemblyincluding a self-adhered termination bar positioned on a roof having aparapet wall projecting therefrom;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the self-adhered termination bar ofFIG. 1 secured to roof edge flashing and a parapet wall by mechanicalfasteners; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the self-adhered termination bar havinga pre-applied adhesive and a release liner and adapted to be secured toan edge flashing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to FIG. 1, a membrane assembly is shown, and is generallyindicated by the numeral 10. Membrane assembly 10 includes at least onemembrane 12 that may be waterproof and weather-resistant. In theembodiment depicted in FIG. 1, two membranes 12 are shown. In one ormore embodiments, the membrane may be fabricated from a thermosettingmaterial. In other embodiments, the membrane may be fabricated from athermoformable material. In one or more embodiments, the membrane may beEPDM based. In other embodiments, the membrane may be TPO based. Inthese or other embodiments, the membrane may be flexible and capable ofbeing rolled up for shipment. In one or more embodiments, the membranemay include fiber reinforcement.

Membranes 12 are joined at a lap seam, generally indicated by thenumeral 14. Lap seam 14 adjoins adjacent edges of membranes 12 to form acontinuous watertight seal. Lap seam 14 may be formed by any methodknown to those skilled in the art for adjoining overlapping membranes.In one or more embodiments, lap seam 14 may be created using a solventbased primer and adhesive applied to the adjacent edges of the membrane12. In other embodiments, lap seam 14 may be created using a primer anda double-sided adhesive tape applied to the adjacent edges of themembranes 12. In still other embodiments, lap seam 14 may be createdusing pre-applied primer and/or adhesive provided on the edges of themembranes 12. In yet other embodiments, lap seam 14 may be created byheat welding the edges of adjacent thermoformable membranes.

Membrane assembly 10 may be installed on flat or low-slope roofs. In oneor more embodiments, the roof includes a parapet wall 16 on at least oneof the edges thereof. Parapet wall 16 may be provided as a safetyfeature to prevent unwanted falls over the edge of a building, or it maybe provided as an aesthetic feature of the building. Membranes 12 aresecured to the roof substrate, and may be so secured by any mechanism ormethod known in the art, including, for example, adhesives or mechanicalfasteners. Membrane assembly 10 may also be sealed against parapet wall16 in order to prevent water from travelling down the parapet wall andbeneath membranes 12.

In one or more embodiments, membranes 12 are positioned to overlap andtravel up parapet wall 16 (not shown in Figures). In these embodiments,membranes 12 have an overlapping portion that may be adhered to parapetwall 16 in the same manner in which membranes 12 are adhered to the roofsubstrate. In other embodiments, such as that depicted in FIG. 1, astrip of flashing 18 is provided along an outer edge of membranes 12.Flashing 18 is secured to membrane 12 along a first longitudinal edge 20to form another lap seam, generally indicated by the numeral 22. Lapseam 22 may be created by any method known to those skilled in the artas discussed above with respect to lap seam 14. An overlapping portionof flashing 18 is positioned against parapet wall 16 and is thereforeoriented vertically. In one or more embodiments, overlapping portion 24may be secured to parapet wall 16 by an adhesive.

Termination bars 26 are secured to parapet wall 16 over overlappingportion 24 of flashing 18. Termination bars 26 are elongate stripsadapted to receive mechanical fasteners therethrough into parapet wall16 to further secure overlapping portion 24 of flashing 18 to the wall.In one or more embodiments, termination bars 26 may be made of a metal.In other embodiments, termination bars 26 may be made of a plastic orcomposite material. In a preferred embodiment, termination bars 26 aremade of aluminum.

An exemplary termination bar 26 is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Terminationbar 26 includes a longitudinally extending planar portion 30, which mayalso be referred to as body 30. In one or more embodiments, terminationbar 26 may include a top flange 32 and a bottom flange 34 extendinggenerally perpendicular from planar portion 30. In one or moreembodiments, a plurality of apertures 36 are provided in planar portion30 of termination bar 26. Apertures 36 are adapted to receive mechanicalfasteners 38 therethrough. Mechanical fasteners 38 pass throughoverlapping portion 24 of flashing 18 and into parapet wall 16 to anchortermination bar 26 to the parapet wall.

In one or more embodiments, termination bar 26 may have a length ofbetween approximately 2 and 20 feet, in other embodiments betweenapproximately 5 and 15 feet, and in still other embodiments, a length ofapproximately ten feet. In one or more embodiments, termination bar 26may have a width of between approximately 0.2 and 3.0 inches, in otherembodiments between approximately 0.5 and 2.0 inches, and in still otherembodiments, a width of approximately 1.6 inches.

In one or more embodiments, planar portion 30 of termination bar 26 mayhave a thickness of between approximately 0.50 and 1.0 inches, in otherembodiments between approximately 0.8 and 0.9 inches, and in still otherembodiments, a thickness of approximately 0.87 inches.

In one or more embodiments, apertures 36 may be evenly spaced along thelongitudinal length of termination bar 26. In these or otherembodiments, apertures 36 may be spaced from one another along thelongitudinal length of termination bar 26 by a distance of betweenapproximately 2.0 inches and 5.0 inches, in other embodiments by adistance of between approximately 2.5 inches and 4.5 inches, and instill other embodiments by a distance of between approximately 3.5inches and 4.0 inches.

Termination bar 26 includes an adhesive layer 40 on a surface of planarportion 30 opposite flanges 32 and 34. It is contemplated that any knownadhesive may be used, and practice of the present invention is notlimited by the adhesive selected. In one or more embodiments, adhesivelayer 40 may be provided in the form of an adhesive tape. The termadhesive tape is used herein to refer to a substantially planar adhesivelayer with or without a backing, which is consistent with the meaning ofthe term in the art of roofing systems. For example, the adhesive tapemay be a pressure sensitive planar extrudate that is adhered on onesurface to planar portion 30, and may have a second planar surfaceadapted to secure termination bar 26 to another surface (e.g. parapetwall). In one or more embodiments the adhesive tape may be generally thesame width as termination bar 26. In other embodiments, the adhesivetape may have a width that is less than the width of termination bar 26.

The adhesive tape may include those that are conventional in the art,including those that have EPDM and/or butyl rubber. Useful adhesivetapes are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,120,869; 5,888,602; 5,859,114;5,733,621; 5,612,141; 5,563,217; 5,545,685; 5,504,136; 4,932,171;4,849,268; and 4,657,958, which are incorporated herein by reference.Useful tapes are commercially available, including those available underthe trade names PLIOSEAL™ (Ashland) or 510™ (Adco) or 505™ (Adco).

In one or more embodiments, a release liner 42 may be provided overadhesive layer 40. Release liner 42 may include a thin film that theadhesive strip may form a temporary bond with, but which bond can bereadily broken by applying minimal tension. In one or more embodiments,the release liner may include a paper or cellulosic structure coatedwith a polymeric coating, and therefore it may be referred to as releasepaper 42. In other embodiments, the release liner may include apolymeric extrudate or film; for example, the release liner may includea polyester or polyolefin (e.g., polypropylene) film. Release liner 42may advantageously provide protection to adhesive layer 40 duringstorage or shipment, and may remain in place until it is desired to mateadhesive layer 40 to overlapping portion 24 of flashing 18.

In one or more embodiments, a sealant 44 may be applied over the topedge of overlapping portion 24 of flashing 18 against parapet wall 16.In one or more embodiments, sealant 44 may also be provided overmechanical fasteners 38. Sealant 44 acts to prevent water frominfiltrating through the holes in flashing 18 created by mechanicalfasteners 38. In one or more embodiments, sealant 44 may include knownadhesives. The use of adhesive layer 40 on termination bar 26 alleviatesthe need to provide a sealant on a top edge of termination bar 26 whenit is installed against flashing 18 on parapet wall 16, thereby furtherreducing the labor involved in installation.

In one or more embodiments, the method of installing the flashing 18 andtermination bars 26 may include the step of providing and installingroofing membranes 12 on a roof substrate. Roofing membranes 12 may besecured to the roofing substrate by any method known to those skilled inthe art, such as, for example, an adhesive applied to the underside ofmembranes 12, or the use of batten bars and mechanical fasteners passingthrough membrane 12. In one or more embodiments, the step of providingand installing roofing membranes 12 includes forming lap seams 14between adjacent membranes, as discussed above. In one or moreembodiments, roofing membranes 12 may be positioned on the roofsubstrate so as to reduce the gap between an outer edge of membranes 12and parapet wall 16.

In one or more embodiments, the method of installing flashing 18 andtermination bar 26 next includes the step of providing a strip of roofflashing 18, and securing the flashing along first longitudinal edge 20to an edge of roofing membrane 12 adjacent parapet wall 16. Flashing 18may be adhered to roofing membrane 12 by any known method of forming alap seam 14. In one or more embodiments, flashing 18 is then secured tothe vertical surface of parapet wall 16. In these or other embodiments,flashing 18 may be secured to parapet wall 16 using a bonding adhesive.In one or more embodiments, the steps of securing flashing 18 to parapetwall 16 using a bonding adhesive further includes the step of assuringthat the flashing and vertical surface of parapet wall 16 are clean anddry, applying the bonding adhesive to flashing 18 and the verticalsurface of parapet 16, allowing the bonding adhesive to flash off untila desired tackiness is achieved, bonding the flashing 18 to the verticalsurface of parapet wall 16, and compressing flashing 18 against parapetwall 16 to ensure proper bonding. In one or more embodiments, the methodof installing flashing 18 and termination bar 26 further includes thestep of providing a continuous bead of a sealant between flashing 18 andparapet wall 16 at the elevation at which termination bar 26 will besecured.

In one or more embodiments, the method of installation includesproviding a self-adhered termination bar 26 having an adhesive layer 40and a release liner 42. Installation of self-adhered termination bar 26includes first removing release liner 42 from adhesive layer 40, andthen positioning self-adhered termination bar 26 against flashing 18 ina desired location so that adhesive layer 40 contacts and adheres toflashing 18. In one or more embodiments, mechanical fasteners 38 arethen driven into parapet wall 16 through apertures 36 in self-adheredtermination bar 26. Self-adhered termination bar 26 remains in thedesired position against flashing 18 as a result of the adhesiveproperties of adhesive layer 40, thereby requiring only a singleinstaller to perform the installation of self-adhered termination bar26. In one or more embodiments, a lap sealant 44 may be provided along atop edge of overlapping portion 24 to prevent water infiltration behindflashing 18. In these or other embodiments, the sealant may also beprovided over mechanical fasteners 38.

Various modifications and alterations that do not depart from the scopeand spirit of this invention will become apparent to those skilled inthe art. This invention is not to be unduly limited to the illustrativeembodiments set forth herein.

1. A termination bar for use in a single-ply membrane roofing system,the termination bar comprising: an elongate body having a planar surfaceand a lip extending from an edge of said body away from said planarsurface; a plurality of apertures through said elongate body; and anadhesive layer on said planar surface of said body, said adhesive layeradapted to temporarily secure said body to a vertical surface.
 2. Thetermination bar of claim 1, wherein said apertures are spaced along alongitudinal length of said elongate body.
 3. The termination bar ofclaim 1, further comprising a release paper positioned over saidadhesive layer opposite said body.
 4. The termination bar of claim 1,wherein said adhesive layer is a double-sided adhesive tape.
 5. Thetermination bar of claim 1, wherein said elongate body includes a secondlip extending from an opposite edge and away from said planar surface.6. A method of installing a termination bar over a roofing systemmembrane positioned against a vertical surface of a structure protrudingfrom the roof surface, the method comprising: positioning a terminationbar having an adhesive layer on a vertical surface having a single-plymembrane secured thereto, the termination bar being secured to themembrane solely by adhesive properties of the adhesive layer; anddriving mechanical fasteners through apertures in the termination barand into the structure to permanently secure the termination bar inplace.
 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of applyinga sealant over a top edge of the single-ply membrane after driving themechanical fasteners into the structure.
 8. The method of claim 6,further comprising the step of applying a sealant over the mechanicalfasteners on an outer surface of the termination bar after driving themechanical fasteners into the structure.
 9. The method of claim 6,wherein the adhesive layer of the termination bar includes a releasepaper positioned thereon.
 10. The method of claim 9, further comprisingthe step of removing the release paper from the adhesive layer prior tothe step of positioning the termination bar on a vertical surface. 11.The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of cutting thetermination bar to a desired length.
 12. A method of installing roofflashing on a vertical surface of a structure protruding from a roofsurface, the method comprising: adhering one longitudinally extendingedge of the flashing to a roofing membrane; adhering the otherlongitudinally extending edge of the flashing to a vertical surface ofthe structure protruding from the roof surface; positioning atermination bar having an adhesive layer on the vertical surface of thestructure over the flashing, wherein the termination bar is held inplace on the flashing solely as a result of the adhesive properties ofthe adhesive layer; and driving mechanical fasteners through aperturesin the termination bar and into the structure to permanently secure thetermination bar in place.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the stepof adhering the flashing to the vertical surface includes: ensuring theflashing and the vertical surface are dry and free of contaminants;applying a bonding adhesive to the flashing and the vertical surface;allowing the bonding adhesive to flash-off; and compressing the adhesivecoating flashing onto the adhesive coated vertical surface to ensureproper bonding.
 14. The method of claim 12, further comprising the stepof placing a continuous bead of sealant between the flashing and thevertical surface at the height at which the termination bar is to beplaced.
 15. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step ofapplying a sealant over a top edge of the flashing and against thevertical surface after driving the mechanical fasteners into thestructure.
 16. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step ofapplying a sealant over the mechanical fasteners on an outer surface ofthe termination bar after driving the mechanical fasteners into thestructure.
 17. The method of claim 12, wherein the adhesive layer of thetermination bar includes a release paper positioned thereon.
 18. Themethod of claim 17, further comprising the step of removing the releasepaper from the adhesive layer prior to the step of positioning thetermination bar on a vertical surface.
 19. The method of claim 12,further comprising the step of cutting the termination bar to a desiredlength.